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Expert Review

Kia Soul hatchback (2009 – 2012) review

Read the Kia Soul hatchback (2009 - ) car review by Auto Trader's motoring experts, covering price, specification, running costs, practicality, safety and how it drives.

Ivan Aistrop

Words by: Ivan Aistrop

Last updated on 26 November 2014 | 0 min read

The Auto Trader expert verdict:

3.3

The Kia Soul is aptly named, as it has injected personality into a line-up of practical, sensible models. It’s spacious and well-equipped.

Reasons to buy:

  • tickIt’s the first cool Kia
  • tickSpacious
  • tickLong warranty

At a glance:

How good does it look?

The Kia Soul marks a change in design language for a Korean car maker which has gone from producing quite bland cars to some of the best-looking around. The boxy exterior is a crossover between a hatchback and sports utility vehicle (SUV), and gives the Soul a solid stance. Special editions called Soul Originals including the Shaker, Burner, Echo and Tempest each bring their own unique exterior design themes.
Expert rating: 4/5

What's the interior like?

Sadly the interior of the Soul can’t quite live up to its trendy bodywork. What you do get is heaps of space – especially headroom – thanks to the tall roofline and boxy dimensions. It’s also rather funky, with body-coloured dashboards in some special edition models. But, the plastics are quite cheap and scratchy, while the seats aren’t supportive enough. The Citroen C3 Picasso and Nissan Juke feel more expensive.
Expert rating: 2/5

How practical is it?

We’ve already mentioned the Soul’s spacious interior, which feels light and airy. However, this doesn’t translate to particularly good load-lugging ability. The boot measures 340 litres, which is more than a supermini, but less than a Ford Focus, or the C3 Picasso, which holds an impressive 500 litres. Fold the seats down and there’s 671 litres, less than half the C3 Picasso’s 1,506 litre capacity. More expensive models get an adjustable boot floor, with a cubby hole underneath.
Expert rating: 2/5

What's it like to drive?

Firm suspension has been fitted to give the Soul a go-kart feel, but it still rolls a bit too much in tight bends and has a bouncy ride. Ride comfort improves if smaller wheels are fitted, so it’s worth sacrificing some style for better road manners. The steering is light, which makes the Soul easy to drive in town.
Expert rating: 3/5

How powerful is it?

There are two 1.6-litre engines to choose between, one petrol with 124bhp and a diesel with 126bhp. This is quite a lot of power for the class, so it’s disappointing 0-62mph still takes around 11 seconds. The petrol feels coarse and quite loud, so we’d recommend the diesel, which offers better all-round performance. Both models have a five-speed manual gearbox as standard, however the diesel is available with a four-speed automatic.
Expert rating: 3/5

How much will it cost me?

The petrol model is quite thirsty, averaging around 43mpg (153-156g/km of CO2 emissions), while the diesel is better thanks to 54.3mpg on average, with CO2 emissions of 137g/km. The C3 Picasso 1.6-litre diesel averages 60.4mpg and emits 119g/km of CO2. Insurance groups are from 14-17 and servicing is every 10,000 miles or one year for the petrol and every 12,000 miles or one year for the diesel.
Expert rating: 3/5

How reliable is it?

Every Soul benefits from Kia’s long seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty, which gives peace of mind the ownership experience should be trouble-free.
Expert rating: 4/5

How safe is it?

The Kia Soul received the full five-star safety rating when crash tested by EuroNCAP, making it one of the safest models in its class. It is fitted with six airbags, electronic stability programme and anti-lock brakes as standard.
Expert rating: 5/5

How much equipment do I get?

The Soul is available in trim 1 and 2, or as a series of special edition models. The 1 is available only with the petrol engine and has electric windows, radio/CD player, USB and aux socket, air-con and remote central locking. Trim level 2 adds 16-inch alloy wheels, iPod connection and audio controls on the steering wheel. Special addition models have themed extras, some highlights including exterior styling kits, 18-inch alloy wheels, a sunroof, reversing camera and ambient cabin lighting.
Expert rating: 4/5

Why buy?

The Soul has the most character of any Kia so far, and its looks are sure to attract buyers. The special edition models are a great way of taking the Soul even further.
Expert rating: 3/5

Still interested in buying a Kia Soul?

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